Recent Home Theater Editorials

It's been a few years since the official unveiling of DTS Headphone: X, a new technology that promises to change how we listen to music, movies, and television using our favorite headphones. Now, that technology is finally starting to roll out, with the most recent introduction of the Nubia Z17S Android smartphone, initial reviews are mostly underwhelmed. With a limited and expensive music library thus far, will DTS Headphone: X make waves in hi-fi, or is it destined to remain just another smartphone app?

You might not know it but Auro-3D is the granddaddy of immersive audio. Armed with Denon's AVR-X7200WA receiver, we took a good hard look at Auro-3D's technology, how to take advantage of it at home, and how it performed in a real-world setup. We give you our candid thoughts about what makes Auro-3D special among competing immersive formats and some of the downsides that come with trying to run parallel Auro-3D, Dolby Atmos, and DTS:X immersive surround speaker installations.

The company that started life as a subscription DVD rentals has built an entertainment empire on award winning but expensive original content on a bleeding-edge streaming service. Earnings statements for Netflix have been rosy as revenue and subscribers grow at an incredible pace. But how much longer can Netflix continue to grow at its present rate? With high powered competitors like Amazon, Apple and Google moving into its market, some analysts think it may only be short lived.

CBS has done it again, they’re treating Star Trek fans like a Gorn warrior treats Captain Kirk on Cestus III. CBS/Paramount are exploiting fan’s dedication to their favorite TV franchise by holding the new series hostage behind its video-streaming subscription service, CBS All Access. Will die-hard fans be willing to pay for this service to see their beloved Star Trek on TV again? Read on to see our thoughts why we remain skeptical.

On September 3rd, 2017, the world lost another musical legend - Walter Becker, one half of the duo named Steely Dan. Becker was the kind of misanthrope that would roll his eyes at yet another gushing tribute to his genius. So, I’ll spare you the sentimental fawning and just cut straight to why I think the life and career of Walter Becker mattered to music.

Ever wonder how companies come up with the names for their products? Why is it the Revelator and not the 100x? How important is the name? Does the name really affect the sales and market acceptance of a product one way or the other? People have wildly differing views on the topic, based on their own experiences and their perception of their own expertise. Read on to find out more.

Ever wonder about the different marketing strategies behind the way various consumer electronics companies present their products? Some are boutique brands, available only at prestigious, appointment-only retailers. Some are very widely distributed, at Walmart, Best Buy, everywhere. Some are direct online sales only. It's all very intentional. Here's a peek behind the curtain on how these business models target their consumers.

T.H.E. Show Anaheim is set to take place September 21-24, 2017 in a brand new location—The Hilton Anaheim, steps away from Disneyland. For music lovers and Audiophiles of all levels, T.H.E. Show Anaheim will be Southern California’s largest high-end consumer electronics Show ever offering attendees an opportunity to see and hear the latest in loudspeakers, audio components, home theater, video, HDTV, digital music, vinyl recordings, headphones, virtual reality, educational seminars and more. You won't want to miss this so register NOW!

The biggest story out of last week's E3 was the debut of Xbox One X. Yes, Microsoft has launched the first salvo in the next-generation game console war. Xbox One X is sure to excite dedicated Xbox fans that feel they've been missing out on true 4K gaming. This time Microsoft has made Ultra-HD resolutions and HDR the prime motivator for your next console upgrade. But with no platform exclusive titles, no truly innovative changes, Xbox One X may look more like another incremental upgrade than a truly next-gen console.

T.H.E. Show Anaheim (formerly known as T.H.E. Show Newport), is set to take place September 21-24, 2017 in a brand new location—The Hilton Anaheim, steps away from Disneyland in southern California. Here's your chance to see and hear all the latest in high end two-channel and home theater audio gear from over 400 brands around the world. Best of all, if you enter their sweepstakes by July 4th, you can win a fully expenses paid trip for two to attend as well as many other prizes. Don't miss T.H.E. Show!

We have no doubt Virtual Reality (VR) will mature into an amazing experience for gamers. Someday, when VR no longer requires total isolation and a face-mask, it might carry the kind of mainstream appeal as home theater when it comes to bringing alternate realities to the masses. Think Star Trek Holodeck. But for now, it's the focus of a lot of hype, a lot of overly-optimistic sales projections and obscene amounts of investment capital for the foreseeable return. Will it replace home theater? We don't think so. Read on to find out why.

President Donal Trump just signed a repeal for an FCC privacy regulation designed to protect consumers from Internet providers selling their data. If present deregulation continues, your ISP and wireless provider will be able to sell your browsing history, app usage and geolocation information without your permission. Your online privacy could potentially be a new revenue source for telecommunications companies like Comcast and AT&T. Who do you trust to protect your data?

Denon and Marantz have launched a new Audyssey MultEQ Editor app, giving home theater enthusiasts control to refine and customize the set-up of their systems for even better surround sound. The app is accessible via a tablet or smartphone device and allows for full curve editing and limiting to a certain range of frequencies for room correction. We are particularly excited about this since you can now limit Audyssey room EQ to below the room transition frequency (300Hz) to concentrate where it's needed most - the bass frequencies. Read on to find out which models support this and exactly what the app will allow you to do.

The latest round of Wikileaks is called Year Zero and includes over 8,000 pages of details about how the CIA is spying on just about anything with an Internet connection. Its a sobering prospect that exploits to only a handful of operating systems, including iOS and Android, and provides backdoor access to just about everything that connects to the Internet. Your phone, TV and set top boxes are child's play - the CIA now has access to weaponized hacks on any Internet connected machinery or vehicle with electronic controls.